Why farming guinea pigs is a good option for Africa
High in protein and healthy fats, they are docile, robust and not picky about what they eat — just a few reasons guinea pigs are ideal livestock
Extract
For thousands of years South Americans have farmed guinea pigs — but this has not taken root in most other parts of the world, including Africa. We spoke to Brigitte Maass about the opportunities they offer as livestock and what challenges there are in producing them
Guinea pigs are native to South America. In Peru they call them “cuyes”, but the animal has many different names all over the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), farmers call them “dende”, and we think this comes from the French name “Cochon d’Inde”, meaning “pig from India”. But they are not pigs, or from India or Guinea. We therefore prefer to call them “domestic cavies”. Cavies have many uses. They were domesticated thousands of years ago as a small livestock species and continue to be farmed. They have also been used by medical researchers to investigate diseases and, mostly in western society — like Europe or northern America — they’re kept as pets. But traditionally they were used for meat. And they still are today, all around the world, with demand peaking in South American countries like Peru and Ecuador. Cavy farming can be a lucrative business. Some farmers even give up dairy farming because raising cavies is more economical. In Peru, for instance, the av...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.